Snakes on a...

The hype surrounding camp horror flick Snakes on a Plane (SOAP) has reached fever pitch ahead of the film's global release on August 18.

The various online manifestations of this hype are of particular interest to Diginative. First up is the official website, which offers SOAP addicts:

- Streaming of two trailors and a music video
- Images and desktop icons for download
- Video and audio clips for inclusion in fansites, blogs, etc.
- A soundtrack listening point
- A SOAP fan sweepstake, with merchandise and a deluxe private screening up for grabs
- A VERY cool tool that allows fans to customise their Myspace page with various SOAP skins

Rather than trying in vain to control SOAP hype, New Line Cinema have fully embraced early enthusiasm for their soon-to-be cult movie. In addition to the features listed above, the official site includes a Fan Site of the Week section, linking latecomers to a selection of the fan-generated content that exists on the web.

The pick of the SOAP fan sites is blanksonablank.com, which celebrates the film's no-nonsense title. A competition was hosted by the site to find the best SOAP spoof, with contestants asked to submit a short film based on a randomly generated Animal on a Vehicle combination. The competition is now closed, but all entries are still available to view here. Diginative recommends the hilarious Tarantula on a Hovercraft, Pig on a Segway and Llama on a Train.

Recognising the role of citizen publicists is worthy of praise, but New Line Cinema deserve special credit for literally taking on board the script suggestions of early-adopters. In order not to disappoint the emergent fanbase, the studio re-shot several scenes from SOAP to upgrade the horror and incorporate the popular "muthafuckin' snakes..." quote, which as Wikipedia notes, was actually first used in a spoof trailor for the film that appeared on the net in late 2005.

Curiously, Wikipedia also reports that the phrase 'snakes on a plane' has entered the blogging vernacular as an alternative to 'shit happens' or 'oh well, what'cha gonna do?'. It seems that SOAP has permeated Diginative culture to its very core. And all before a single critic has had the chance to pass judgement on the film!

In summary, SOAP is the ultimate web 2.0 marketing phenomenon, complete with massive interactivity and user-generation. It's also a textbook example of a Gladwellian social epidemic, spreading virally by passionate diginative connectors.

I leave you with a clip from the film and the immortal words of Mr Samuel L Jackson:

"I've had it with the muthafuckin' snakes on this muthafuckin' plane"